Whether you like it or not, when you apply for term insurance of life insurance, your insurance agent will be asking you questions related to your alcohol consumption intake, specifically:
- How many glasses, and how often you drink? - Have you ever been convicted for a DUI charge?
Your answers will determine how much your premiums will cost. That said, you can say that life insurance underwriting is more of an art than a science, and there is no consensus, or consistency, among the different life insurance companies in dealing with the answer to either of the two questions, especially the first.
Yes, excessive drinking is associated with a shorter life expectancy, but there is no agreement on what is "excessive". Is it one drink a day, or two, or is it six? There is also the point to consider that moderate drinking has been known to increase life expectancy by a few years and cut down both heart attack and stroke.
Of course, having a DUI on your record - unless if it happened a long time ago - will most likely disqualify you from the best life insurance rating class. If the DUI charge was recent, and if there have been other DUI charges in the past, you will be required to pay even more.
Honesty Is Still the Best Policy
When filling out your life insurance application form, be accurate as possible about your alcohol consumption because your policy can easily be rescinded if any inaccuracies are discovered, which often happens after a claim is made.
Alcohol does not usually stay in the blood for more than 24 hours (hopefully you weren't drinking when the nurse came by to do the paramed exam). Alcohol use, however, can be suggested by the presence of elevated liver enzymes, which can be tested for. An elevated liver enzyme level indicates more than occasional drinking. If your test shows you have elevated liver enzymes, several things could happen as a result:
- You will not be issued a policy. - Your application will be postponed until the cause is pinpointed. - You will be issued a policy but you will be required to pay extra premium.
If you end up with a higher-than-expected life insurance rate because of something alcohol-related, remember that your rates can go down over time if you are able to furnish evidence that you have addressed the problem.
If you drink only a glass of wine a day, it's unlikely to affect your life insurance rate with most insurers unless you have elevated levels of liver enzymes. If your alcohol consumption is more than moderate, with a little diligence and hard work, it should be possible to get an excellent rate on life insurance, if this is your only issue.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.